Rare 'golden jackal' spotted in Karla Lake, Thessaly - See stunning images and video

For the first time in Karla Lake, the rare Golden jackal (Canis aureus) was photographed by AM_Wildlife_Photo Shots.

The golden jackal, one of the three known species of jackal, is a medium-sized mammal belonging to the canidae family.

It is found in south-eastern and central Europe (as far as Austria and Hungary), Asia Minor and the Middle East.

In Greece, it is found in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, in Serres, Halikidiki, Attica, Phocis, Peloponnese and Samos, while there are records in Thesprotia, Preveza and Aitoloakarnania.

Canis aureus - Lake Karla - 9 July 2022

Until the first half of the 1990s, he was still living in Corfu. The oldest findings of jackals in Europe were found in Delphi and Kitsos and date from 5000-4500 BC.

It is an omnivorous and opportunistic animal, with the result that its diet varies according to the seasons of the year. It feeds on garbage, fruits, plants and small animals such as amphibians, rodents and insects, and can also eat goats and sheep.

It is more closely related to the wolf and coyote than to other animals called jackals.

Six subspecies have been recognised. Until recently the jackal-like animals of northern and eastern Africa were classified as this species, but genetic studies have shown that they are a new species of wolf, the African golden wolf Canis anthus.

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